May

Be prepared for the May Bank Holidays, half term and beyond – browse our events and find the one for your family. With a variety of festivals, shows, and activities for kids and parents, you won’t be bored. Come rain of shine, there is always something to do in Cheshire and Manchester. Whether you’ll be having fun in Tatton Park, joining playtime classes at The Lowry or visiting East Lancashire Railway in Bolton, we’re certain you’ll enjoy it!

1, 8, 15, 22 May 2024, 10am – 10.45am, 11am – 11.45am
Little Creatives
A weekly creative session for toddlers and their adults! Includes music making, storytelling, dance and creative play. Sessions are 45 mins, are free for all and all attendees must book a ticket (including accompanying adult).
Suitable for ages 2-5.
Free, booking required
The Lowry Lookout
The Lowry, Salford Quays. Manchester
Tel: 0333 320 2838
www.thelowry.com

3, 10, 17, 24 May 2024, 10am for 0–1, 11am for 1–2
Babies Playtime
These classes are led by a professional early years practitioner and are an opportunity to have fun, sing, dance and make new friends. Classes last 45 minutes and are free for all. All attendees must book a ticket (including accompanying adult).
Suitable for ages 0 to 1 and 1 to 2.
Free, booking required
The Lowry Lookout
The Lowry, Salford Quays. Manchester
Tel: 0333 320 2838
www.thelowry.com

4-6 May

All Aboard For A Day Out With Thomas!
Meet Thomas the Tank Engine™ and his friends, who are waiting to greet you at the East Lancashire Railway! This fun filled day out for all the family includes:
– Rides on Thomas
– Meeting The Fat Controller and some of Thomas friends
– Performances by Rusty and Dusty, Sodor’s cheeky station sweepers
– Unlimited Travel on Steam and Diesel trains
– Thomas Themed Activities in the Imagination Station, including, Tabletop Games, Colouring, Thomas Films
– Re-enactments of classic Thomas stories, including the Troublesome Trucks up to no good
– Magic Shows, Circus Workshops, Face Painting
The East Lancashire Railway
Bury Bolton Street Station,
Bolton Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 0EY
Tel: 0161 764 7790
www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk

10 May 2024 10.30am – 2.30pm
PLAY days at Whitworth
A space for under 5s and their grown-ups to come together to play, be curious and be creative with simple, open-ended play resources. Whitworth’s School of Creativity space will be packed full of huge tubes and pipes, big boxes, crates, large reels, tyres, and lots more, creating a world of endless possibilities to explore and create.
The Whitworth,
The University of Manchester,
Oxford Rd, Manchester M15 6ER
Tel: 0161 275 7450
www.whitworth.manchester.ac.uk/getinvolved/families/playdays/

10 May, 10am – 11.30am
Experitots
Designed especially for those with children under five, you and your family will get the chance to explore the exhibition with support from the friendly Explainer team and enjoy some additional activities, all of which will be suitable for younger children, from babes in arms to toddlers
Tickets: free for ages 3 and under, £9 for 4 years and older and £10 for adults.
Location: Experiment Gallery
Level 1, New Warehouse
Science and Industry Museum
Liverpool Road, Manchester M3 4FP
tel: 033 0058 0058
www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk

18 May 2024, 09.30am – 11.30am
Who let the dads out?
This is a free monthly group for dads or father figures and their children aged 0 to 8 years old. There will be toys and activities for you to enjoy with your kids, as well as a bacon or sausage butty and a brew. It’s a place where you can meet other dads, make new friendships and share the ups and downs of the parenting journey.
Cale Green Life Centre
71 Adswood Road
Cale Green,
Stockport, SK3 8HR
Contact Helen on 07532 781061 or at helen.eadie@360life.church to find out more.
www.stockport.gov.uk/events

19 May 2024, 11am
Kidical Mass Manchester The Big Family Bike Ride
Come and join worldwide movement of family-friendly bike rides that call on city leaders to make our streets safer for kids. Last year over 400 Kidical Mass rides took place around the world to demonstrate the need for safer streets for kids, with calls to councils such as better cycling infrastructure and more traffic-free zones. The carnival atmosphere of the rides help to demonstrate that streets that are safe for kids are better for everyone.
The ride starts at Central Library in St Peter’s Square at 11am for a stewarded, colourful and child-paced route to Whitworth Park where there’ll be a celebratory picnic.
    Meeting point: Outside Manchester Central Library
    Arrive: 11:00 am (setting off at 11:15am- 11:30am)
    Route: Manchester Central Library – Deansgate – Oxford Road – Whitworth Park
    Distance: Approx 1.2miles
    Pace: Slow, family friendly and fun.
    Optional Extra: Bring Your Own Picnic For After the Ride. Picnic starts at 1pm
Suitable for all ages
Free, booking NOT required, but do it, please, to give organizers the idea on how many is going to show up
Outside Manchester Central Library
St Peter’s Square, Manchester M2 5PD
@Kidicalmassmcr
www.eventbrite.co.uk

19, 30 May 2024
The Wizarding Adventure
It’s time to sign up to our spellbinding school of sorcery as you take a wacky and wonderful whistle stop tour of the Wizard Academy and learn to become a master of mystery and magic.
During this magical interactive experience you’ll take lessons in the basics of broomsticks, practice your potion making, be instructed in incantations and learn to tattle and talk with a tawny owl.
For students age 5 – 12 recommended, but anyone is welcome to enrol.
What’s included:
– One return trip from Bury to Rawtenstall hauled by a genuine steam (and spell) powered train
– An approximately two-hour wizarding experience with the region’s most pre-eminent enchanters.
– Wizard themed activities and plenty of photo opportunities.
– Make your day complete with a trip to Bury Transport Museum, sited just across the road from Bury Bolton Street Station.
Food and drink will be available to purchase from our café on Platform 3/4 at Bury Bolton Street Station and from the Rawtenstall Buffet.
The East Lancashire Railway
Bury Bolton Street Station,
Bolton Street, Bury, Lancashire BL9 0EY
Tel: 0161 764 7790
www.eastlancsrailway.org.uk

20 May, 10am – 11.30am
Experitots sessions in Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You, Special Exhibitions Gallery.
Discover the science at work with your little ones. On this session you can enjoy a voyage of discovery through the digestive system with Operation Ouch! Food, Poo and You special exhibition.
Tickets: free for ages 3 and under, £9 for 4 years and older and £10 for adults.
Location: Operation Ouch!, Special Exhibitions Gallery
Level -1, New Warehouse
Science and Industry Museum
Liverpool Road, Manchester M3 4FP
tel: 033 0058 0058
www.scienceandindustrymuseum.org.uk

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(for Manchester & Cheshire area, please)